


Operation: Happily Ever After

by OnceUponanAusten91



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Parent-Child Relationship, Romance, Sisters, Snapshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceUponanAusten91/pseuds/OnceUponanAusten91
Summary: A happily ever after as told from the perspectives of some favorite OUAT characters. Plenty more characters are mentioned than the tags show.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena, Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Honeymoon Talk & Snow White

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote an outline of these ideas after season six ended when I found out we would be leaving Storybrooke. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this characters yet and wanted to imagine how their lives would go on. I originally was going to keep the story within the parameters of the season six finale, but I did like how the realms were united in season seven. You may see a few season seven references, but try to stay in the mindset of season 6. A few details have been altered. The Wish Universe characters and timelines were complicating the story, so I ignored them. For Henry's future, I did imagine he went off on Pinocchio's motorcycle, but he has not met Cinderella yet. I had written this before we found out Hook’s mom’s name is Alice. I didn’t want two daughters named Alice, so I chose to keep my original name idea. A character appendix of new characters that were added will be posted at the conclusion of the story.

Killian opened his eyes and stared vacantly in front of him. Emma rolled to her side, and blonde locks of hair draped across her pillow inches from Killian’s fingertips. He couldn’t resist reaching out and stroking the semi-glossy strands. Some mornings he still couldn’t believe that Emma Swan was in his bed, willingly. Then again, she was Emma Jones now. They’d been married for four months. It hadn’t felt like that long, what with having to defeat the Dark Fairy and putting Storybrooke back to normal (as normal as a town with fairy tale inhabitants can be). Life for them had just begun to find a flow. Killian had transferred everything he needed from the _Jolly Roger_ to the house Emma had purchased for them. Even though she had been under the draw of the Dark One dagger, Killian had to admit she had picked out a bloody perfect house for them. She had no idea how comforting it was for him to gaze out of their several windows and see the _Jolly Roger_ docked close by. The cozy kitchen reminded him of his mother cooking breakfast for him and Liam around the holidays (one of his only memories of his mother), and he found out Emma had picked out a house with a large backyard because growing up as an orphan, she had dreamed of living in a house with a yard to run around in. One day their children might use it. Killian smiled at the thought of one day being a father. But that wouldn’t be for a good while yet. They were having too much fun in their honeymoon period. _Honeymoon._

Killian rolled on his back at the prospect of having a honeymoon. They had briefly talked about going away for a couple weeks as they prepared for their wedding, but everything had happened so fast that they never discussed where they would go. Being the Savior one last time pushed the idea far from either of their minds. He wondered where Emma would want to go, if she even wanted a honeymoon. She didn’t care much about drawing attention to herself. Killian deep down had quite a romantic side, and being married to Emma had made him feel as honest as the young seaman working for the British Navy, before his Hook persona had tainted him. Emma was saving him from his darkness every day, and he loved presenting her with grand, sweeping gestures of his love, partly to see her squirm and secretly delight in the attention, and partly because it felt bloody good to love someone.

Emma rolled back towards him and rested her head in the crook of his arm. He drew her close and kissed her head, breathing in the coconut-scented shampoo she had used the night before.

“Good morning,” she sighed groggily.

“Morning, Love. Ready to get up yet?”

“No. My one day to sleep in and I’m making the most of it.” She pulled the covers under her chin.

“You take all the time you need.” He loosened the grip on her slightly and gazed down at her half-closed eyes. “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

“I’ve seen so much of people that I’m rather happy right here.”

“There’s no place you’ve always wanted to see, like the Caribbean Islands or the shores of India?”

“Why would I want to travel anywhere when we just got back from surviving the most difficult days of our lives?” She had propped herself up on one elbow and was staring at him with a doubtful look. “Where is this coming from?”

“I, uh,” he realized there was no room for being vague now that her “superpower” had been activated. “I was thinking we never got a chance to have a proper honeymoon. Most couples do travel somewhere for fun after they’re wed.”

“You mean battling the dark fairy magic isn’t your idea of fun?”

“Not when your life was at stake,” he ran his hand down the side of her face.

“I had no idea you wanted that kind of thing.”

“I thought that after all the insanity we’ve been through, I’d like to have as much normalcy as we can. Besides, what’s not to like about having you all to myself, without any sheriffing duties to answer?” He hugged her close and began kissing her lips.

After three, Emma pulled gently back. “You’re serious about this?”

“I am, Swan.”

“That’s not my name anymore.”

“Still as graceful and elusive in my eyes.”

She nudged him in the arm. “If we were to go anywhere, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere too far or exotic. Besides, I think you’d have a heart attack if we flew to India.”

“On a dragon? No, I was thinking we’d use the _Jolly Roger_.”

“I’m not sailing on your ship for two months! Sorry, I like the sea, but that’s not my idea of a good time.”

“Then what would you suggest?”

Emma sat cross-legged staring into space while Killian leaned over and kissed various parts of her face.

“I got it,” she grasped his knee. “Mt. Desert Island.”

“A deserted island? Perfect!”

“No, Desert Island. It’s off the coast of Maine. Acadia National Park is there, kind of like the Enchanted Forest only without the giants and arrows. I was supposed to take Henry there last year.”

“Do you have a map? Maybe we could sail the _Jolly Roger_ there.”

“That would be acceptable.” She kissed him once more and climbed out of bed. “I’ll go get my laptop to Google- I mean, I’ll get dressed and go to town to find a map.”

After seeing the map and brochures Emma brought home about Mt. Desert, Killian thought it sounded like the ideal honeymoon spot, secluded with plenty of outdoor activities and stores close enough if they needed anything. He was starting to enjoy the modern comforts of this era, even if some days he felt like he was going soft. They took a week to make arrangements and sailed off the following Monday sunrise. Three weeks of sailing, hiking, exploring, and every other wonderful thing one imagined on a honeymoon made their trip a success. Killian ended up sailing them to a couple other outer islands to see what else was nearby. They returned refreshed and satisfied. Much to his pleasure, Emma shared that recreational sailing with him had turned into a new favorite pastime.

Life found a new normal for them. The Jones continued to fix up their house and decorate it to feel more like home. The décor lost its modern feel as Killian brought in more navigating apparatuses and seashells. Maurice landscaped their front yard, and Charming expanded their back patio. Emma and Killian spent lazy weekends watching Netflix and eating popcorn and chili fries while drinking beer. For laughs, Emma played the first _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie, and Killian nearly flipped over their bowl from the outrage over inaccuracies. The sword fighting had him captivated though, and while he complained throughout the whole film, they binged the five movies in one weekend. When Henry wasn’t staying with them, he and Regina, the Charmings, and occasionally the Golds were often invited over for movie nights and dinners.

Killian had come to an understanding with Rumplestiltskin. As much as he hated to admit it, they were family. The more frequently Rumple came over to visit Henry, drop off some trinket for Emma he found in his shop, or (his least favorite) come over with Belle and Gideon for dinner, Killian could see that Rumple had changed and was happy with his new family. They had all suffered more than their fair share. Killian wasn’t about to have a pint at the Round Table Tavern with him, but they could carry on conversations and even grin once in a while. Killian couldn’t resist the urge to give Gold a crocodile-themed gift whenever he had the chance. That first Christmas, he bought Rumple a light green Gund crocodile. For his birthday, Rumple received a “Keep smiling” crocodile mug and cocoa set. Killian bought him a Father’s Day keychain that read “Father to a Croc,” and for no special occasion, Killian delivered a pair of lime green Croc shoes to the house (“for gardening” Killian had insisted). When Rumple did eventually move away with Belle and Gideon to a huge mansion, Killian gave him a sentimental parting gift, a gold gilded mantlepiece clock with crocodile claw feet, “to remember each memory as time passes.”

Snow White cut a piece of tape and secured it over a box seam. With a marker, she wrote, “Christmas #5” on the side and sat down in a nearby chair. “ _That’s the last one! I hope I didn’t miss any ornaments again.”_ She rubbed her belly tenderly. “ _Next Christmas, we will be celebrating it with you_.”

Snow reflected on that first blissful Christmas with no curses, no battles, no Dark Magic threats. She had been determined to make that coming Christmas the best one they had ever had. Her family was all accounted for, out of danger, and never happier. Her dream come true, and she wanted to make the most of it! She wanted to host a Christmas Eve party, and after much begging and pleading, Regina begrudgingly volunteered to host Christmas Day dinner. Not that it was much volunteering; Emma had outright refused to host anything, at least for the first year. Snow thought it would be fun to invite some friends from the Enchanted Forest for their first year. After sending out the invitations and regretting she didn’t invite more, Aurora and her family, Merida, and Ariel and Eric wrote back that they would be happy to come. Snow put Charming to work to decorate their house and outdoor buildings, the first time anyone in Storybrooke had done such a thing for Christmas. The holiday cheer was infectious, and soon a decoration war arose among Charming, Mr. Gold, the dwarves, and Killian. Even though he thought the idea sounded ludicrous at first, Killian could not resist the competition and found himself putting up Christmas lights on his house, the sheriff’s office, and even his ship. She thought it was sweet justice that the mechanic Michael Tillman ended up winning because his children Nicholas and Ava (or Hansel and Gretel as they sometimes asked to be called) recreated their house to look like an oversized gingerbread house out of the Candy Land game. Christmas wasn’t supposed to be a competition but a day for celebrating love, family, and hope. That first Christmas had been a glorious success, and from then on, the Charmings, Joneses, Mills, and Golds would take turns hosting holiday parties.

Snow stood up and walked to the kitchen sink. The swelling in her feet had gone down and she had dishes to do. As she washed, she stared out the window. Neal was playing with the dog, and Charming had pulled out one of the horses so he could keep an eye on Neal while he brushed them. Charming ran his stables and farm full time and only worked with Emma on hard cases and or if she needed to take time off. His life seemed fulfilled living the simple life he once enjoyed so long ago. Neal loved living on a farm just as much as his father did. One of the first things he begged to have was a pet pig, so Charming bought him a black and white spotted sow Neal named Dottie. A year later, Neal insisted that he needed a boy pig so they could have their happily ever after. Charming stopped the mania after Dottie had piglets, and they sold all but one. Dottie, Wilbur, and their piglet Babe were Neal’s first responsibility of many on the farm.

Snow was so glad she gave up teaching. Yes, she missed it some days, and maybe she’d go back to it again. Right now, Neal and Charming needed her more. She wasn’t about to miss another child grow up. She wasn’t a complete homebody. She wouldn’t be able to take that. In her spare time, she worked with Regina on community projects for the town and started a mothers’ support group where she met up with other mothers in town for kids play dates, tea and coffee outings, and shopping trips. With another baby on the way, Snow knew she wasn’t going back to work anytime soon. She and Charming had cried in their room when she shared the news with him, and again when they found out they were having a girl. She would be able to—

“Mommy!” Neal came in with tears streaming down his face, his hands carrying something.

Snow quickly wiped her hands off and moved towards him. “What is it, sweetheart?” She knelt down to his eye level.

“Figaro was chasing a bird and was holding it down under his claws,” he explained between sobs. “I chased him away, but the bird wouldn’t move. Is it dead?”

Neal unfurled his hands to reveal a quivering young robin with downy feathers visible in patches.

Snow held open the front screen door. “Let’s take it outside.”

Once they reached the tree near where Neal was playing, Snow looked in the branches and saw a nest with two heads peeking out. “Neal, put the bird down in the grass for a minute.”

He knelt down and nestled the bird into the grass. It quivered and twitched its wings but stayed where it was.

“Do you see that nest up there?” she pointed. “I hear chirping. I think the bird’s brother and sister are looking for him. I think you need to show the bird that it’s safe. Hope is waiting just out of reach. All he needs to do is fly up and reach it.”

Neal crouched closely in front of the bird and stroked its head with two fingers. “It’s okay, little bird,” he whispered. “Figaro is gone. You can fly home now.”

After what seemed like an eternity to Snow, the bird opened its wings, chirped, and flew back into the nest. Neal jumped with a cheer.

“He’s okay! Thank you, Mommy!”

Snow squeezed him tightly. “This time you helped him, Neal.”


	2. Emma & Regina

Emma rounded the corner of the Storybrooke library as part of her daily patrol. “ _I need to take this baby in for an oil change_ ,” she made a mental note as she turned left down another side street. “A dead end! I keep forgetting.” She made a u-turn and turned down the second street and a plot of land that would have construction crews swarming it within a week. Now that Storybrooke was no longer threatened by Dark Magic, the economy took a sharp upturn. The influx of people from Camelot and the Land Without Magic resulted in six new housing developments, and new shops and restaurants popped up everywhere. The wonderful thing about magic is that the acres grew with the town, so Storybrooke never felt overcrowded. Storybrooke High’s head of the science department opened up a four-story mega gym called Hulk’s Gym that was frequented by most of the town and later franchised to other realms. Shang ran a martial arts studio on the street behind it. Anton collaborated with Maurice and a few new residents to make urban and healing gardens. One garden was rumored to have a secret door that promised adventures. Only children could find the key that was hidden in the garden.

Life in Storybrooke wasn’t without its challenges, but they were of a much smaller scale. One of Emma’s first tasks as sheriff had been to teach her deputy how to drive. Killian spent more time cursing out the “demon horseless carriage” than she spent cursing at his driving skills. Charming took over lessons when Emma needed a week off, and within six months, Storybrooke had a new registered driver. Poor Henry ended up having Regina help him with most of his driving because by the time he had his permit, Emma had been too burned out to practice with him.

With Killian able to drive, he was able to pick up Emma faster if they needed to get to a scene, and he turned out to be an excellent driver during chases. It took the pair of them two weeks to discover that the missing farm animal cases and later disappearance of three residents were connected to Dracula. Dr. Whale had quite a time developing a course of treatment for him. They received complaints that a tobacco-smoking detective was trying to make his own arrests. Granny tipped them off when she had seen a suspicious man dressed as a woman drinking tea at the corner table while staring at a couple talking in another booth. After questioning him, Emma discovered he was Sherlock Holmes and was forced to consult with Regina. After much deliberation with her colleagues and interrogation sessions from Emma to make sure he was the real deal, Regina split Storybrooke into a few separate districts, allowing Sherlock to work closer to the Victorian England residents and four men calling themselves The Three Musketeers were appointed to patrol another district. Regina was hesitant to employ the Musketeers, suspecting they had identity crises and other underlying issues, but they seemed law-abiding. She’d rather have them far away from her than in Storybrooke.

Emma passed an umbrella shaped sign that read “Mary Poppins, Inc.” and groaned. She got tired of the calls from concerned (or meddling) residents about Mary Poppins’ eccentric babysitting habits, but Emma saw nothing wrong with her business. Killian thought it reminded him a bit too much of Peter Pan and stayed in the car or at the station whenever they had to see her. Being a former pirate still left him with odd superstitions. The pair had received several reports of a woman howling in the attic at night and candlelight flickering through the windows, but whenever they checked it out, the Rochesters claimed nothing was wrong. Killian believed the attic was haunted and insisted they should never drive down their street past sundown.

Emma turned down the road to take her back to the station. “ _An uneventful morning. If I hurry, maybe I can make it back home in time for lunch. Killian should be back from the Jolly Roger by then_.” While being Emma’s deputy kept him busy, Killian looked for ways to be out at sea whenever he could. Emma already gave him lead on any cases related to the sea. Killian was an asset during their Captain Ahab case. One particular case prompted him to want a more permanent watch over the sea. The dwarves had placed Sleepy, of all dwarves, at the helm of their trawler, and as he dozed off, the boat’s rigging started scratching the side of the _Jolly Roger_. Doc swerved the boat out of the way as soon as he could. The damage was minor all things considered, but Killian was furious. Before Emma could blink, he had marched to Regina’s office and demanded that he be at the head of a new Coast Guard task force.

The pair had agreed that during everyday patrols and other slow days, Killian’s time would be better served on the sea. When he couldn’t patrol the seas himself, he had Jim Hawkins be his first mate. The boy was so skilled that Killian paid him to periodically wash and polish the _Jolly Roger_. Killian took a special interest in regulating the fishing industry and the future of Storybrooke.

“Emma,” Killian had told her at dinner one night, “Every young mind should have nautical experience. How else will our seas be taken care of? I’m going to give it to them!”

Twice a month he offered sailing lessons to some of the Storybrooke middle schoolers and teens. His passion for the sea inspired a few of them to work for the Coast Guard when they graduated. Henry had been one of his first pupils, and when he had mastered all the planned lessons Killian had, Emma watched their lessons evolve into swordplay on his ship’s deck. She figured Killian felt most at home training Henry where he had done most of his own sword fighting. Henry’s previous lessons with his grandfather gave him the proper foundation for Killian to mold him into quite a formidable opponent. When Emma fought against him, he managed to wrest the sword away from her. Their family dynamic was becoming what she had always dreamed.

Regina adjusted the picture of Henry holding up his driver’s license so the frame was angled towards the corner of her desk. The town requests pile was finally growing shorter, and she could spend her mornings preparing for council meetings. Although still tedious work, it was better than reading the asinine requests some of the townspeople came up with. _“The trees are obstructing my view of the clock tower. My landlord has been snoring too loudly. One the sidewalk cracks nearly made me fall and break my nose.”_ She sighed, “Some of these people need to get a life!” She stopped herself before she complained anymore. “ _At least the town trusts me enough to talk to me_.” Regina couldn’t believe when she had been voluntarily elected as mayor the first time after the Dark Fairy had been destroyed. Even when other people ran for mayor against her, Storybrooke showed they were loyal to her, and that loyalty wasn’t something she took for granted.

She never forgot the time when Nottingham (not the one that Robin had known but another jerk) had gone up against her in her third run for mayor. This Nottingham was known for his dark almond-shaped eyes, deep voice, and a full head of hair, which actually made him look like a weird lion. He quickly turned the election into a popularity contest. Rumors circulated that the pair were dating after he brought her a coffee and then gave her frequent side glances during their debate. A week prior, Nottingham had taken her out to dinner as a “gesture of goodwill and fair sportsmanship,” which turned into a failed attempt to get information out of her. Regina had squashed the rumors with a fireball in hand. “I wouldn’t date that pretty boy if a Dark One dagger forced us to.” She won the election with a significant lead (“ _at least Storybrooke didn’t fall for his teenage charm tricks_ ”), but Nottingham continued to cause problems by trying to get on the council or by spreading rumors to turn residents against her.

Regina was about to read another document when her phone buzzed. “ _Now_ what?” Zelena’s name flashed across the screen. “Are we still on for lunch tomorrow, sis? [green heart emoji]” Regina quickly answered, “Yes, if this paperwork doesn’t kill me first. Meet you outside Remy’s.” Zelena responded ten seconds later with a kiss emoji. Regina rolled her eyes. Zelena could be a bit much some days, but she never knew what she had been missing not having a sister. Now that Zelena had Robin, her maturity levels were alarmingly normal some days. Zelena read every book Belle offered her and even subjected herself to a few of Ashley’s Young Mommy meetings to raise Robin the best way she could. She reminded Regina of how she tried to do her best for Henry. Looking at how well he turned out, she must have done something right. What shocked Regina the most was when Zelena told her what career she had chosen during one of their lunch dates.

“I want to help missing children find their mothers.”

“Excuse me?” Regina had stopped midbite. “You’re the reason some children, especially the Munchin ones, can’t find their parents. Not to mention no mother trusts you after you kidnapped Snow’s baby.”

Zelena took another sip of iced tea. “If you can have a fresh start here, so can I! With all the curses you and everyone else cast, plus the hoards of people popping up here from realms, children have been separated from families sometimes twice over. Ashley had been sharing some stories she read in the _Gazette_. You really did a number on that Jefferson girl, didn’t you?”

“They had their happily ever after,” she replied icily at the memory of that madman’s name.

“I want to help other families have that too.” She reached across the table and grabbed Regina’s hand. “I know what it’s like to be separated from my baby, and what it’s like to long for my mother. You do too, Regina, and I don’t want anyone else to suffer that way. It’s too cruel.”

Zelena had been right. Looking in her eyes, Regina knew she was serious about the cause. She helped set Zelena up with an official organization, and soon Wickedly Wonderful Reunions took off like a storm. Like her sister, Zelena managed raising her daughter as a single yet successful businesswoman, and Regina couldn’t be prouder of her.


	3. Granny & Killian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read the conclusion of the tale as Granny reminisces in her diner and Killian looks at photographs. Hope is also introduced. The New Character Appendix is included at the end.

Granny wiped down the last table and slumped into a booth. “I’m getting too old for this.” The diner had closed fifteen minutes ago, and after her Valentine’s Day specials, the day couldn’t have ended sooner. With all the new restaurants popping up all over town, Granny had to put forth more effort to keep customers coming back. Valentine’s Day was one of her biggest nights, and she created a more exotic menu that her customers had loved. They were just a bit harder to make than she had imagined. But couples in love had always put her in a good mood, and lucky for her love mingled with the magic in the air in Storybrooke. Six months ago, Archie had been walking Pongo when his faithful dog ran off the path to meet the dalmatian outside the firehouse (or so she had heard from Leroy, who had witnessed the whole event). Perdita was the dog of one of the firefighters there, and Archie was just as captivated to meet Marina Betts, a new arrival from the Land of Untold Stories. Their meeting was cut short when Marina had to leave to put out a fire. Archie had heard reports that she was pouring water over bystanders who weren’t doing their part of help, and he knew he had to see this spunky woman with a strong conscience again. He arranged to meet her for an Italian dinner at Tony’s, and both dogs and owners became instant soulmates. Granny was a bit perturbed that he chose Tony’s over her diner, but she did crack down on her “no dogs” policy.

Then there was Dr. Whale. That philanderer had finally found the girl of his dreams, a raven-haired patient he saved from anaphylactic shock. Granny had thought his wife would have settled him down. Whale and Hester were happily married for two years, until she became pregnant with another man’s baby. After some heated arguments heard throughout town, Whale had explained that he and Hester had come to an arrangement. They would stay a family but be allowed to see other people without forming any romantic attachments. This bizarre arrangement worked out quite well for the next four years. Then Granny heard it from Mr. Stork, who was always late in delivering the wrong mail, that Whale and Hester had grown bored and realized they were meant to be together. Anybody with a pair of eyes could have told them that! They went to therapy and recommitted themselves to each other and their daughter Pearl.

Granny pushed herself to her feet and pulled out her mop and bucket from the closet. Thankfully the waiters had washed all the dishes before they left. As Granny swirled her mop around, she couldn’t help but fall into her late-night nostalgic thinking habits. Once Storybrooke eventually merged with the other realms to become the United Realms, everyone was able to visit each other more often with the realms so close together. Each queen and princess took turns hosting parties and balls where available to keep them connected. Of course she hadn’t been invited, but she heard enough about them all. The formerly Evil Queen was gracious enough to let Snow White host her ball at the palace, since it used to be Snow’s palace for a time. Ariel’s party was more of a beach party, and Charming couldn’t stop pondering why the Red Queen’s husband looked so familiar. If she had been there, she could have told him that was Will Scarlet, but now she’d take that secret to her grave.

Sweet Emma was always more thrilled than she cared to admit whenever Anna and Elsa visited. One time Emma and Killian ended up traveling to Arendelle when reports of troll disturbances circulated. Apparently, Grand Pabbie never told Kristoff and Anna that he had banished his niece and a few of her friends for dabbling in dark troll magic. All these years, they had been practicing their magic and waiting for a good time to take revenge on their troll brethren. They chose two weeks after Anna had given birth to twins, a boy and girl, and Elsa was helping her new beau’s kingdom fight the Southern Isles. The trolls thought terrorizing Arendelle would hurt Grand Pabbie the most, but they weren’t expecting to fight against Emma’s good magic. “ _I’d have brought my shotgun and blasted them to bits. Would have solved everything_.”

Regina and Emma, even the whole town, had been on edge when Lily and Maleficent returned. Nobody wanted dragons around. Everyone relaxed when they found out Maleficent wanted to retrieve the last of her possessions from storage. On their bonding journey, Lily had finally tracked down her father, who turned out to be Zorro. The three of them decided they wanted to settle down in Enchanted Forest realm so they could be close to Lily’s boyfriend and be able to freely transform into dragons. Regina couldn’t figure out why Maleficent seemed so…pleasant, until Maleficent announced she was looking forward to being a grandmother. Emma had brought Lily into her diner for some grilled cheese. “ _Glad they insisted I do the grilling._ ” At Lily’s request, Granny had taken one last video of Emma and Lily together, both pregnant eating ice cream cones.

Granny brushed a tear from her eye and squeezed out her mop. “Done! With seven minutes to spare!” She returned her mop and bucket and grabbed her keys to lock up. Working at the diner sure had its privileges.

Killian flicked the upstairs hallway light on. He hated sleepless nights. He walked towards the end of the hall but stopped when a picture caught his eye. He, Captain Nemo and Liam were sitting at table in the Round Table Tavern with drinks raised in the air. Killian smiled as he remembered taking that picture the night he told them he was going to be a father again. He loved Henry dearly, but he could not contain the excitement that he was going to have a child of his own flesh and blood.

“Killian, old brother, that’s brilliant!” Liam had slapped him on the back.

“Watch it, lad, I’m not that old!”

“And I’m not that young.”

Captain Nemo cleared his throat. “Maybe this is the perfect time for me to share some good news of my own. We have business to conduct here that will take weeks to finish up. This is not the last you’ll see of us!”

Liam stayed around up until after the baby shower before Captain Nemo insisted that they couldn’t afford to stay any longer. Killian remembered that his mother-in-law had worked with Belle and Ashley to create the biggest baby shower Maine had ever seen. They weren’t the only ones to dote on Emma. He and Snow White took turns lavishing Emma with gifts. Granny shoved a paper to-go bag in Emma’s hand whenever she passed the diner. Leroy was so excited that he started petitioning the town to create a holiday to commemorate Emma that would be celebrated whenever the baby would be born. There was no way Regina was ever going to sign that bill, much to Emma’s relief. Instead, Leroy took pride in the fact that he was the first to announce, “BIG NEWS!” in Granny’s Diner to Emma’s family that Emma had gone into labor.

Killian walked down the hall a bit farther to the picture of Emma sitting in their recliner chair cradling their baby with himself kneeling down next to them. The first night home. “My Little Love,” he whispered. Emma had named their daughter Hope Charlotte Margaret Jones, after both their mothers. Emma decorated the nursery with swans and anchors (and her unicorn mobile), and Hope grew to love all three symbols. Everyone couldn’t wait to spoil her. Granny embroidered her an aqua blue blanket, the Charmings fashioned a tiara and gave her a custom-made outfit every year, and Regina opened a college fund in Hope’s name.

He couldn’t believe how much time had passed already. She was growing up to be a beautiful young lady with blond, wavy hair and dark blue eyes. Her favorite foods were of course seafood, grilled cheese, and hot cocoa with cinnamon. Sweet, fearless, _flirtatious_ , and adventurous, she loved both the sea and the forest. Perhaps it was his bedtime stories of his sea adventures. He was proud of how deft Hope was becoming with a sword and gun. All their fencing lessons, visits to the shooting range, and other private lessons from the rest of the family must be paying off.

Killian’s eyes wandered to some pictures of Hope with her friends. She played with anyone and boasted she lived by a “strong moral code.” _“Where’d she pick that up?”_ There was Hope with Aurora’s daughter and Robin standing by Anton’s famous locked garden. Here she was in a treehouse she built with Young Neal and Tom Sawyer. _“Glad she’s not seeing that Sawyer boy right now.”_ There she was riding shotgun in Emma’s car, wearing a deputy badge and a whipped cream mustache. _“She loved tagging along that day.”_ And his personal favorite photo, Hope standing at the _Jolly Roger’s_ wheel wearing her seafaring blouse, skirt, and boots, one hand on the wheel and the other thrusting her hat in the air.

His eyes skimmed to another part of the wall. He and Hope were sitting at a table at Regina’s birthday dinner last year. Hope’s hand was resting on his hook. Killian involuntarily rubbed his stubbed limb. He had worried that Hope would grow up being afraid of his hook, but to his surprise, she often proclaimed, “Dad, you’re the most amazing man in the world. I hope I’m brave enough to lose my hand in a fight too. I’d settle for losing a finger, so long as it’s something!”

The picture above that one was one of Henry clutching Hope on his lap. Her three-year old smile lit up her face. Killian recalled how he and Emma had worried how Henry would react to the news of being an older brother. He had worried that Henry would feel replaced or that they were starting a new family and pushing him away.

“Are you kidding?” Henry had jumped up from the couch. “This is the best news ever! I’ve always wanted to have a brother or sister!”

He had hugged both of them, and that was just the start of Henry’s love. He came back home from his adventures to be there for the birth. He was the third person to hold her and the first to change her diaper when he and Emma had been so exhausted after staying up for so long. He made sure to be home for every Christmas and sent presents for Hope’s birthday whether he’d make it back or not. Each letter contained another new story about a current adventure he had or ones he had shared with Emma years back.

Killian had reached the end of the hall now and slowly opened the door a crack, careful not to let the light beams fall over Hope’s eyes. Hair strewn out on her pillow, Hope’s arm draped out the side of the bed and dangled over a fallen book. Killian slid in and placed the book on her nightstand. He listened to her deep breathing, much like her mother’s when she slept. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Not a stir.

He gently sang, “She stepped away from me, and she moved through the Fair. And fondly I watched her move here and move there…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to humor my head canon! I hope you've enjoyed reliving some favorite characters. Writing this makes me want to rewatch the show yet again! 
> 
> Here is the list of new characters (animals not included) that were not originally in the franchise. They were inspired by history, books, and Disney movies. I've written which section they are found and where they originally came from. 
> 
> New Characters Appendix  
> Head of Science Department (Emma's section)- Bruce Banner/Hulk from Marvel comic books  
> Shang (Emma)- Mulan movie  
> Dracula (Emma)- book  
> Sherlock Holmes (Emma)- books and stories  
> Three Musketeers (Emma)- book  
> Mary Poppins (Emma)- book and movie  
> Woman in the attic (Emma)- from the novel Jane Eyre. I slightly diverge here too. In this universe, Jane marries Mr. Rochester and they ignore his wife Bertha in the attic. She doesn't die.  
> Captain Ahab (Emma)- Moby Dick book  
> Jim Hawkins (Emma)- Treasure Island book  
> Nottingham (Regina)- Robin Hood book, from another realm  
> Marina Betts (Granny)- actual female firefighter from the 19th century. The water bucket story is true.  
> Hester and daughter Pearl (Granny)- Scarlet Letter book  
> Mr. Stork (Granny)- inspired from Dumbo movie  
> Tom Sawyer (Killian)- book


End file.
